Maternity-corset



C. MUNTER.

MATERNITY CORSET.

APPLICATION mgr) DEC.5,1917.

1,345,620. Patent d July 6,, W20,

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

. WITNESS."

Wa QiJ/ C. MUNTER.

MATERNITY CORSET- APPLICATION HLED DEC.5,1917.

Patented July fi, W2

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, ie aea ed a certain new and useful a set, of wh ch the following is a specification. i Tins lnventlon s a maternity corset UNITED STATES PATENTMOFFICE.

ensures ivruurnn, or new roan, n. r. i

To all whoiafit may concern, a y e Beit known that I, (lirannns MUNTER, a

j citizen of theUnited States, residing in the city of New Yorlgborough of Manhattan, county and State of New Yorlr have invent M aternity-Coradaptedto be worn during pregnancy, as well as after childbirth. a

lvlaternity corsets have heretofore been so constructed that they serve to press tightly against the abdomen and force the same 1n an upward and rearward directlon by the application of relatively great pressure directly upon the abdomen. This practice, while universally pursued by the corsetieres, has always found considerable op position WlthtllG medical professlon, since 'tl'lBttPPllCiltlOll of, great pressure against the abdomen of a woman bearing a child not only is extremely uncomfortable and pain- "l'ulat times to thewearer, but almost invariably forces the child into an abnormal position,thereby seriously interfering with the proper formation or growth of the child, as well as with the resp ratlon of the wearer.

, It has been long believed by corsetieres that the application of a relatively great force a ainst the abdomen inan u award and rearwarddirection is desirable, and this is the end generally sought for in maternity corsets as long employed. l Vhile the effects of wearing such a corsetaregenerally harmful, said deleterious effects are most pro nounced in ill fitting corsets which apply a strongrearward pressure without the accompanying upward pressure. The effect of such a corset is toicause marked constriction of thegenerative organs, which has a tendency to forcethem downwardly, frequently to a marked degree, so that, at

times, evena distended condition occurs.

llhave discovered, by extensive experiments and a study-of the human body, that the transmission of great pressure against the abdomen is entirely unnecessary to bring about the results sought for, since these results can beaccomplished in a natural way and through theagency of the muscles and l1gaments whlch nature has prov ded.

r experiments have shown that, if the backbone or spine is maintained in proper position, the l1gaments and muscles referred to will serve, through the carrying out of their Specification of Letters Patent.

narnnnirv-consnr.

Patented July 6, 1920..

Application filed December 5, 1917, Serial No. 205,623.

intended functions, to bring about a natural condltlon and to properly support the abdomen and stomach in a correct manner.

It is well known that the abdomen, stomach and associated organisms are, literally, hung from the spine, so that, if the spine is maintained in proper position, the rethe child is lying correctly, itsgrowth will be compensated for by a broadening of the body through the hips, rather than by a marked distention of the abdomen. ln maternity corsets heretofore employed, the hips have been forced together, with the'result that the child is forced into an abnormal position, bringing about marked protrusion of the abdomen. If the tight lacing of the corset is carried tOGXtI'GIIlBS, it is not uncommon for thechild to be forced into a substantially inverted, vertical position, which generally causes extreme discomfort to the mother, is injurious to the health of the child, and renders the birth abnormal and dangerous to both parties;

With the foregoing considerations in mind, the object of the present invention is to construct a maternity corset wherein excess pressure upon the abdomen, or on any other part of the body, is obviated, but, by

the use ofsuch corset, the spindle column is caused to partake of its natural curvature, thereby causmg the body to naturally maintain the parts of the torso in correct relative positions, so that sagging of the parts referred to does not Occur.

A further ob ect of the invention is to provide a corset which will carry out the foregoing object but will not unnecessarily bind any portion of the body, the same merelyconforming to the natural curves thereof to mamtain the spine at 1ts proper curve, while readily compensatmg for such hip expansion as is necessary to the wellbeing of the mother and child.

A further object which may be adverted to is the provision of a corset which may bereadily and easily putonand adjusted and which will distributeit's tension and the natural expansion throughout the entire garment Features of the invention, 'otherhthanthose specified, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparentfrom the hereindetailed description taken in conjunc-.

tlon witlrthe accompanylng drawings.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated. different practical embodnnents of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to'be understood as illustrative,'only,' and not as defining the limits .of

the invention. 1 5' Figure ,1 is afthree-quarter front. elevation ,of a maternity corset embodying the present inventionin "place upon a person.

7 Fig.2 is a rear view; of thestructure of ig.f3 is a modified form of corset emf bodying thef present"invention laid out flat.

' stays B' and "Referrin to the drawings, and more particularly Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, A designates thecorset; Said corset is of the front openingitype and its meeting edges are'pro- .vided with cooperating posts f b .and eyelets b"', by'means of which said-meeting edges I The corset isbuiltup of-a plurality of sections sewed together so as to properly shape the corset, particular. attention being 1- given to the shaping of the back thereof, as

upon the shaping of the back depends the V 'efliciency of the corset 1n the carrying out of its'functions. The central back of the corset is preferably without openings, so that an unobstructed portion Wlll overlie the. spinal 'column' and will impart the proper, .natural curvature thereto, but, in order that the corset Wlll properly conform to the-contour of the body, the back portion 7 thereof is provided with openings-C, which "the corset to above the waistline.

" openings D are provided at'either side of extend upwardly from the lower edge of Similar the medial line of the front of the corset, which back 'and "front. openings C and D serve, collectively, to cause the garment to conform" to lnp'dnnenslons, e. 6., the dimen- 'SlOIIS of the body at and below the waistline.

'lVhile it is recommended that the central l back of the garmentbe closed, as described,

and the openings CC be positioned at either side of the spinal column, a "central open- 'ing may be i provided after the manner shown in my prior Patent No. 848,479,

. March 26, 1907.

The form' of cross-lacing J with'belt shown in this; patent may be employed, with a central opening in the back of the corset of this invention, without departing from said invention. Moreover, the back of the corset may be provlded with an opening J, extending downwardly from the upper edge thereof and closed by a lacing j of any desired form, but the best results are relation to the breasts. These upper openings E assistthe lower openings C and D in the conformation of the garment to. the

figure at the waistline, and operate independently above the waistline to shape the upperportion of the garment to the figure and, more particularly, to produce the proper fit at the breasts.

, lVhile the said openings may be adjusted by the employment of any form of lacing desired, it is'difiicult for women, who, as a rule, are not-familiar with mechanical or physiological principles, to properly adjust said openings by independent lacings. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, rear openings C are closed by one series of laces, while all of the front openings are closed by another series. In order that these lacings may be properly adjusted,'they are preferably associated with belt portions so that the wearer is merely required to buckle a belt about the person in order to obtain proper adjustment of the back openings, and a second belt about the person in order to properly adjust the front openings. A very satisfactory arrangement is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the belt for closing the back openings is designated F. The belt is made in two sections and to the rear of each section are secured a number of tapes f which are passed tln'ough cyclets f positioned in the central back portion and adjacent the edge of openings C, as best shown in Fig. 2. Tapes 7 are thence carried across the openings C and are secured, as at c, to the opposite edges of said openings. Laces f are of different lengths, and these lengths are so proportioned that, when belt F is drawn about the figure and secured at the front, as shown in Fig. 1, all of the laces will be placed under tension, and, as the belt is drawn tight, openings C will be closed to such extent that the central back portion of the corset will be drawn into the correct curvature of which the spinal column should normally partake. The proportioning of the lengths of laces f and the shaping of the central back portion are of great importance, since, through their agency, the vertical contour or curvature of the central back portion is determined, and this curvature, in turn, determines the position of the spinal column of the wearer The lacings shown and described for closing back openings U, and those which will be hereinafter described for closing the same manner does belt Gr exert its greatest front openings D and E, work out very well in practice, but, if desired, other forms of lacing may be employed. For example, the

form of double lacing shown in my applica tion for patent on lacmg filed herewith,

Serial No. 205,622, whereineachlace passes twice across the opening which it closes beingmay be employed to close opening J,

such, for example, as shown in my other application for lacing filed herewith.

The lower front openings D are closed by I lacings g secured to one edged of each lower front opening, pass through eyelets g at the opposite edge thereof, and thence pass and are secured to the opposite ends of belt G.

To said opposite ends of belt G- are also secured the laces h, by which openings E are adjusted, said laces it cooperating with the upper openingslil in the samemanner as described with reference to thelower openings. In the same manner as the tightenf ingof belt F serves to ad ust the back openmgs C, the tightening of belt G serves to adjust the front openings D and E. In the force in the vicinity of the waistline and a lesser force 1n the lower portion of the garmentand about the breasts.

lnthe construction of Fig. 3,which shows a modified form of the invention, the corset is constituted the same as hereinbefore described wlth reference to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, but, instead of providing a separate belt Gr forthefront lacings of the garment, the structure of Flg. 3 contemplates the simultaneous adjustment of all of the. lacings a common belt l Tn this construction, the laclngs are so proportioned that, whenbelt l is drawn tightly about the wearer, all of the lacings will be automatically and simultaneously adjusted to properly shape the garment to the figure. I This construction has some advantages over the construction of Figs. 1 and 2, primarily in the fact that one set of lacings cannot be made tighterthan another, and secondarily in the ease of adjustment through the manipulation of a single belt. Both forms of corset described may be provided with hose supporters H, depending from the lower. edge thereof, but these hose supporters may or may not be embodied, as desired.

From the foregoing description of both forms of the invention, it will appear that their modes of operation are the same. By thetightening of the belt or belts, the central back portion of the corset is caused to assume the proper curvature and to this curvature the spine conforms, so that the shoulders are thrown well back and the small of the back hollowed to the desired extent. The body is held erect without unduefpressure on the abdomen, and, by holding the body erect and maintaining the proper curvature of the spine, the muscles and cords of the abdominal wall and interior organs are pulled taut and serve to support or suspend the parts with which they are associated in a natural manner directly from the backbone. The abdominal wall is thus sustained by the forces of nature and not by an exteriorly applied pressure, as was depended upon in prior corsets. The corset of this invention is not re stricted to use during pregnancy, but is equally well adapted for continued use after the birth of the child, as it continues to maintain the spinein proper position and, in so doing, not only renders the system more healthy, but, also, allows the parts of the body to return to their normal positions, this being accomplished naturally by the muscular tissues of the body in a healthy manner and inthe absence of deleterious and painful. pressures which would serve to render the recovery more slow and less sure. In the carrying out of this invention, it will, of course,be understood that the corset is properly reinforced by suitable stays so disposed as to render the conformation of the garment to the wearer most complete and satisfactory. Several of these stays are shown in the drawings in dotted lines and are designated by the reference character 2'. The disposition of the stays may, however, be varied from that shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. Other slight modifications may be made entirely within the scope of this invention, and it is, therefore, to be understood that the same is not limited to the specific structure shown and described, but is as broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. A maternity corset embodying a body portion provided in the front thereof, on either side of the medial line of said front, with an upwardly extending opening and a downwardly extending opening, lacings cooperating with each of saidupwardly and downwardly extending openings, a belt common to all of said lacings for adjusting the openings,two upwardly extending openings in the back of the garment, each of which is positioned laterally of the medial line of the back, lacings associated with each of said openings and a belt cooperating with the lacings for adjusting the size of said openings.

2. A maternity corset having a body portion provided in the front thereof, on either side of the medial line of said front, with an openings, and a belt cooperating with the ings, twojupwardlyf extending openings in theback; of the garment each of which is positioned laterally of the medial line of the back, lacings associated with each of. said lacings foradjusting the size of said back openings, in combination with additional lacing associated with an opening in the mediallme of the back of the corset.

3, A maternit corset havim a bod 3orb 7 tion provided in the front thereof and at either side of the medial line of the front with openings extendingupwardly from the lower'edge to a point above the waist line of t-he wearer, and having an additional pair of openings positioned one on either side of the medialline of the front and extending downwardly from. the upper edge of the corset to points below the upper ends of the upwardly extending openings, belt operated lacings associated with each of the openings p in the front of the corset, and said body portion being provided with a further opening in the back of the corset, and lacings for adjusting the sizeof said further opening.

4. A maternity corset having a body portion provided in the, front thereof and at either side of the medial'line of the front with openings extending upwardly from the lower edge to a point above the waist line of the wearer, and having an additional pair of openings positioned one on'either side of the medial line of the front and extending downwardly from the upper edge of the corset to points below the upper ends of the upwardly extending openings, belt operated lacings associated with each. of the openings in the front ofthe corset, said body portion being further provided with two upwardly extending openings in the back of the corset one of which is positioned on each side of the medial line of the back of the garment, and belt operated lacings associated with each of said back openings. 7

5. A-maternity corset having a body portion provided with openings two of which arepositioned in the front of the garment on either side of the medial line thereof and ex tend upwardly from the lower edge of the garment, two other of whichare positioned on either side of the medial line of the front and extend downwardly from the upper edge :to points below the upper ends of the two other front openings, and two other of which openings are positioned in the back of the garment, one on either side of the medial line of the back of the garment, and belt operated lacings associated with each of said openings.

'6. A maternity corset having a body portion provided with a plurality of openings, two of which are positioned in the front of the garment and extend upwardly from the lower edge thereof and two other of which are positioned in the front of the garment and extend downwardly from the upper edge thereof to points below the upper ends of the other two front openings, and belt operated lacings associated with said openings.

7. A maternity corset having a body portion provided with a plurality of openings, two of which are positioned in the front of the garment and extend upwardly from the lower edge thereof and two other of which are positioned in the front of the garment and extend downwardly from the upper edge thereof to points below the upper ends of the other two front openings, and belt operated lacings associated with said openings,

in combination with additional lacing cooperating with an opening 111 the back of the corset.

8. A maternity corset having a body portion provided with a plurality of openings,

two of which are positioned in the front of the garment, one on either side of the medial line in the front and extend upwardly from the lower edge of the garment to points 7 above the waist line, two other of which are positioned in the front of the garment, one on either side of the medial line of the front and extend downwardly from the upper edge of the garment to substantially the waist line, and two openings of which are posi tioned in the back of the garment, one on 7 either side of the medial line of the back extending upwardly from the lower edge of the garment to a point above the waist line. and belt operated lacings associated with all of the openings.

9. A maternity corset having a body portion provided in the front thereof with a plurality of openings extending upwardly from the lower edge of the opening and downwardly from the upper edge thereof, and belt operated lacings associated with said openings.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES MUNTE It. 

